On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns —— All three missed it — EC
This is really an awesome sight to watch if you’ve never had the chance . Very fascinating.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the
tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the
highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the
rifle.
4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path, he executes an about face
and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be
between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 2″ tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30.” Other
requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the
tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on
or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the
rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in
any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on
their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only
400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their
lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat
and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the
top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.
The! re are n o wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty
in front of a full-length mirror.
The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor
watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid
to rest in ArlingtonNationalCemetery. A guard must memorize who they are
and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe
E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most
decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywoodfame.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for
guard duty.
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our
USSenate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC
evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the
hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They
respectfully declined the offer, “No way, Sir!” Soaked to the skin,
marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding
the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be
afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them.
And a huge “Thank You” to all of the military service people past and present who have kept us free to be able to enjoy all that we do!
This would get me crucified on the other site I post on but to clear up the facts and the fallacies look at this….
Thanks Brian, I couldn’t do it myself.
Blu…only one person needed to be crucified..so rest easy! 
Thanks for sharing..either way it’s still a good email and I’ve always wondered if it was totally true..but never took the time to look it up.
**************************
This collection of little-known ‘facts’ has been around for years, but saw a resurgeance of popularity after Memorial Day, 2004 – no doubt the result of thousands of tourists converging on the Washington D.C./Arlington area for the opening of the World War II memorial.
The Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by Tomb Guard sentinels, members of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), headquartered at Fort Myer, VA. The claims in this chain letter can be categorized as true, mostly true and totally false. Here goes:
True
* Guards take 21 steps before turning, for the same reason there are 21 guns in a 21-gun salute.
* The Guards’ gloves are wet to improve his grip on his rifle.
* The guard always carries his rifle on the shoulder opposite the tomb.
* Guards wear specially designed shoes.
* The Guards’ uniforms are impeccably kept.
* President William H. Taft and Audie Murphy are buried there.
Mostly True
* Guards make an about-face, then wait 21 seconds before retracing their steps. Actually, guards make a 90-degree turn to face the tomb, wait 21 seconds, then make another 90-degree turn before retracing their path.
* Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. According to the Military District of Washington, “The guard is changed every hour on the hour Oct. 1 to March 31 in an elaborate ritual. From April 1 through September 30, there are more than double the opportunities to view the change because another change is added on the half hour and the cemetery closing time moves from 5 to 7 p.m.”
* Guards must be between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 2″ tall, with a waist no bigger than 30 inches. Actually, the upper limit for height it 6′ 4″, and no exact specification is made for waist size except that weight and build must be “proportional.”
* Joe Louis, the boxer is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. However, Joe “E.” Lewis is a comedian buried in New Jersey.
Totally False
* The BadgeGuards must commit two years of service, live under the tomb and never drink alcohol, swear or fight for the rest of their lives. The Old Guard makes no such restrictions on the personal lives of its members, and soldiers may live in housing of their choosing.
* After two years, they are given a lapel pin that they can lose if they break the rules unique to them. Guards can earn a laurel leaf badge after several months of service, if he passes a test. It is a badge to be worn on the uniform jacket, not a lapel pin. The badge can be revoked for conduct unbecoming a soldier of the Old Guard.
* Guards give up all television and social activity for the first 6 months of duty. Again, the Old Guard makes no such person restrictions on their members, though the elaborate training and preparation for the job may leave them little time for entertainment.
Most of the blatantly false claims fall in the “other requirements” portion of the letter, which appears to have been added as the chain circulated, by another author. A simple Google search turns up plenty of web sites that examine the honor and ceremony of Arlington National Cemetery – all of them more valid and reliable than this anonymously authored, randomly forwarded and somewhat incorrect collection. Break this chain.
Quote:
And a huge “Thank You” to all of the military service people past and present who have kept us free to be able to enjoy all that we do!
Amen, brother
Over Christmas I was in Kohls shopping and an elderly lady overheard my conversation with the checkout girl about how I spent a couple years in Korea. She looked me straight in the eye like nobody ever has and sincerely thanked me for my service. I said “Mam, I haven’t served in over 15 years, but Thank You.” She said she didn’t care if it was a 100 years, and told me to be proud of myself! Nobody, not even from my family, has ever done that….I had to make a hasty retreat to the parking lot cause I felt the tears begin to well-up!
Thanks Briank for the patriotic post….and to the soldiers that guard those “known only to God”
That IS cool Slip! 
To the lady in Kohls!
PS I just posted it for JDLII.
Thanks BK!
Great post!!! The bottom line is these men are extremely disciplined and consider it a great honor to guard the tomb. The Vietnam Memorial is the other place out there that I felt the unbelievable power of the memorial. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Way too many people forget all of those that have sacrificed so much so we can live our lives free today. Thank a veteran today!!! Ted
My highest level of respect go out to each and every soldier that has or is serving our country. I cannot fathom the dedication and pride these soldiers have on a daily basis.
Thank you to all!
Slipsinker…..Heres to you!! THANK YOU!!!
I am taking a class right now called American Wars in Film. A buddy of mine in the class and I were talking about how taking this class and reading soldiers actual accounts of war and watching films really makes us feel lazy when you look at the sacrifices that soldiers have made so that we can go to class and when its over come back and watch TV or play a video game.
I have always had great respect for everyone that has worn a military uniform and after reading the book “With The Old Breed” by E.B. Sledge and really getting into his mind while he was in combat, only increased my admiration and respect for our men and women in uniform.
To everyone who has served their country, Thank you.
There are some amazing things to see in washington d.c.I personally have a framed picture of me making a cast in front of jefferson memorial, witht he washington monument in the background…I will post it when i can get it in my email! When we went there, we witnessed the changing of the guards and it was pretty interesting. On that day, D.C. had thunderstorms with pooring rain moving through. We got soaked. So did the gaurds. It is really unbelieveable to think there is always a guy there, right now ,every day every minute, every second. Some people have real dedication for what our troops have earned FOR US…Others don’t. Its the ones who don’t who end up getting 
in the end. Great post.
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